Hello forum, I am looking for help in solving a dilemma.
I think this machine is now at least 10 years old, but from what I read it was very good and still has relatively high quotations. So I ask the experts, is it worth venturing to buy one (obviously in a good shape) or is it a big risk? (limited lifespan, spare parts such as the driver no longer provable etc,).
I have no experience of the PS Audio world: I leave the hard judgment to the experts.
a warm greeting
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Welcome, @giubeca !
I have a PWT. It continues to work wonderfully well. While I have not needed to do so, the drive mechanism is straight forward to replace if it fails.
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I too have a PWT that works perfectly and sounds great. If you can get one at a good price grab it. I also have a PST and use both regularly!
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Hi Elk, thanks for your answer; where could I find the right drive mechanism? If I decide to buy the PWT I think I would have one mechanism spare for the future.
It is difficult to know which dvd rom drive you need until to get the PWT and look inside to see whether you need an IDE drive or an SATA drive. The reason being the earlier PWTs used IDE connections. The ones a little later supports either IDE or SATA. The latest ones only support SATA. You do not want to by a drive that you cannot use in the PWT that you end up with.
I’ve had mine since the first year they were out, not even sure when that was. Seems like at least ten years. Still working flawlessly. I had to swap out the drive on or about year five, but very simple process. Combined with a good i2s cable and it doesn’t get any better. Every streaming device I have tried over the years always comes up well short. One of those few things they will have to pry out of my cold dead hands.
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Is there somewhere an indication of serial numbers telling which ones has the IDE and which ones the SATA drive?
I do not know if PS Audio keeps track of that. The only way I know of is to look under the hood!
I bought a used one about 4 years ago. It’s still going strong.
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I just bought a PWT/DSSr pair used and it’s been rock solid.
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Welp, looks like I should’ve kept my mouth shut because I may have jinxed myself. My PWT went dark today. I turned the main power off on the back panel and now it won’t power up anymore. Hopefully, it’s just a fuse.
Hi, just to answer the question is the PWT worth buying well that depends on your budget. The PWT is an excellent sounding transport for the second hand market. If you don’t have a lot to spend but want something that sounds better than anything else for the money then jump on it. Drives which are the typical issue(although I’ve never had an issue) can be purchased on eBay for $25 or less. PS audio will help were they can, they will never tell you “sorry can’t help”.
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I thank you all. I finally decided to buy one. I’ll be soon part of the family.
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You will not regret it. It is a great transport.
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Mine is back in action! I managed to blow a fuse somehow. Enjoy the purchase.
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Let us know how it goes with your purchase and setup, Im sure we will help you in any way we can here.
I can collect it only end of the next week, then I’ll start my tests.
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After just over a day of testing I am disappointed. The sound is there, but what a noisiness; the disc can be heard continuously turning, when starting the drawer opens only after 2 or 3 attempts making straining noises with knocks that seem due to blocks and every time a CD is inserted the rotation noise on starting is much higher than that of my pc. In short, an operation that is certainly not in line with the price class of this machine. after just over a day of testing I am disappointed. Everything with the last firmware installed (1.24).
It may be worth changing out the drive for a new one.
Sounds like that one is ready for a new drive. It is an easy job to do and well worth the effort. You can easily remove the metal drawer plate from the drive in your transport and put it on the new drive. If you don’t want to do it yourself you can check to see what PS Audio will charge for the change.